Melissa Wyatt once gave me some kick-butt advice that I still follow. She suggests making the following format changes to a rough draft before printing it out to read:

* Switch the font to Garamond, or a serif font that’s more “open” than TNR.
* Single space the entire manuscript.
* Move the side margins in one inch each and the top and bottom margins in one and a half inches.
* Adjust the paragraph indent to two or three spaces instead of five.

By doing this, your story will look more like a “real book,” rather than a manuscript, and it’s amazing you differently it reads in this format! Try it once!

(Thanks, Melissa!)

I also was able to attend the launch party for Paula Chase Hyman on Saturday night to celebrate the release of her book, SO NOT THE DRAMA! Bob and I had a fantastic time, and it was so cool meeting Paula, a fellow member of The Class of 2k7. More details–and pictures–will be coming tomorrow!

Have a fantastic week!

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